Colours of the Rainbow
by HecateA
Summary: Chiron has seen them all throughout the centuries. Oneshot.


**Dedication: Hey Floatfoot, remember when you asked for this story and I told you that I had a title and a plot for your request? Change of plans in the middle of the night, but this is still dedicating to you. I thought that this would allow me to explore more nuances of their relationship, et cetera.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the following characters. **

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**Colours of the Rainbow**

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**Red**

Chiron crossed the forest's clearing. He stood in the shadow cast by Zeus' fist and looked around him. It wasn't a pretty scene. The grass had dried up and turned yellow as the sun got brighter in the summer, but it was stained red instead of yellow.

He heard a _pop _sound behind him.

"Oh my…" He spun around and saw Iris, whose big brown eyes were looking at the scene in dismay. She wore her usual costume as messenger; Greek robes cut short for convenience and some comfortable, more modern hiking boots. She wore her dark hair pinned up solidly out of her face. Two leather bags were strapped over her shoulders and crossed in an X over her chest. They were filled with scrolls, small packages, telegraphs, letters and whatnot.

"Iris, you don't want to see this," Chiron told her. She was strictly non-violent, always had been.

"Of course not but I came to see you," she said. "The gods –there are messages all over the place about this! Don't worry, it's not unnoticed. Zeus, oh you wouldn't believe how much he's doing right now, nobody's going to see him out of the war room for days! I heard that there was a horrible battle here: twenty two dead, oh Chiron is that true? I had to come see you- are you okay? Let me see if you're hurt- show me your arms…"

"I'm fine Iris."

"Arms," she demanded crossing hers.

He held out his arms for her, although frankly he could have a spear forked through them and he wouldn't care. This post-battle gloom had become typical on his behalf over the years. He always pushed through it by reminding himself that there were some survivors, and that the survivors needed help and some kind of beacon through the darkness too.

Iris was satisfied with him.

"Good," she said. Her long wings shimmered behind him, almost like holographs. "No blood. But are you okay?"

Chiron swallowed.

"It wasn't twenty-two dead, Iris, you heard wrong. It's twenty-five."

Iris' face melted and her eyebrows furrowed. She opened her arms and flew to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He managed to hug her back feebly.

"And how many living?" She asked.

"About a hundred and ten," Chiron said.

"Think about the one hundred and ten, okay? And don't stay here, the grass is stained. Let's get you back to The Big House, you don't need this décor." Iris said keeping an arm around him as she guided him out of the woods.

**Orange**

"You should see something," Chiron said getting up from the Big House's table.

Iris drained her glass of lemonade. She'd been talking for the entire duration of their visit, not that Chiron minded, and had neglected her drink. "What is it?"

"Well you'll see, won't you?" He said again. Iris gave him a smile, only one side of her mouth pulled up, and followed him outside.

The campers were all preparing for Capture-the-Flag, so Iris would probably go unnoticed. They wandered out of the original U of cabins and then down the right wing.

"Oh gosh," Iris said a smile forming on her face when she spotted Cabin 14.

The tiles on the cabin's roof were each a different colour, and its bare white walls were covered completely with a sheet of crystal on the sides. Light from the setting sun shone through it and lit up the grass all around it. Rainbows would dash across the walls like shooting stars and disappear just as fast.

"Try touching the wall," Chiron said. "Go on."

Iris gave him a funny look and then walked forwards, her fingers outstretched. She second they grazed the crystal, a panoply of colours shimmered, like the light in spilled oil. Iris smiled and dragged her hand across the wall, prolonging the effect.

She smiled. "Wow, this is…"

"Come see the back," Chiron said escorting her to it. The back wall was blank, and it was filled with doodles and some actually very nice drawings and sketches of camp life.

"Oh wow," Iris said. "I recognise some of this. That one in the corner is Marley's work, she loves still life… And that sketch, the one of camp life, it's definitely Jane's. Oh, and Butch is the one who wrote that joke down." She giggled. "It is rather funny."

"The front has the same concept, but they've made much nicer pictures on the back. You can draw too," Chiron said. "Anyone with your blood can simply visualise a colour and size and just draw."

Iris looked at him impressed and then she drew a rainbow. The colours unfolded from the wall and extended from the cabin like ribbons and arched into the ground.

She smiled.

"Such a cool idea…" Iris said. "Who came up with..?"

"I did," Chiron said. "I thought that you'd want a place specifically for art."

She beamed at him. "You know me so well."

"That I do," he answered. Campers in orange shirts and various amounts of pieces of armour started to flood into the central green; the Olympian cabins helping the minor gods' cabins find their way.

"I should run," Iris said. "Wouldn't want them to see me here and besides, you have a game to ref. Make sure that nobody gets hurt, okay? And if they do make sure that…"

"A medic, so usually I, sees them and tends to them and reminds them not to overdo it with the food of the gods- as per usual, Iris." Chiron smiled.

Another 'as per usual' was her extended worry for his campers.

**Yellow**

It wasn't often that Iris came down to Mount Pelion, and it wasn't often that Chiron could transfer the care and responsibility of the encampment to his half-blood pupils. Thankfully today, the two had coincided and Hercules was around to help. Worst came to worst, Theseus could sort help out as well. Chiron was confident, their borders were safely guarded thanks to a few monster-hating nymphs.

They wandered higher up on the mountain. The trees weren't as thick and the paths weren't as tame, but they both managed. Some of the satyrs living at the camp would wander upwards, but usually the half-bloods didn't go far (and if they did, Chiron didn't want to know what in Olympus and Hades they were up to, although he had a few very good guesses since Orpheus and Eurydice had spent a free block on the grounds earlier in the week).

"Lady Iris!" One exclaimed before dropping down in a deep bow.

Iris looked surprised. She smiled and said hello and chatted with the satyr for a few minutes. The goddess and the young boy even sat down on two big boulders and were on first name basis before it went on its merry way with a basketful of berries in hand.

"Satyrs are so sweet," Iris said with a smile. "Really, I run errands for Dionysus all the time and they just keep getting sweeter with me- it breaks my heart to have to yell at them on his behalf."

"You nearly scared that one to death though," Chiron said sitting down next to her.

Iris frowned.

"Not a lot of goddesses come around Mount Pelion," Chiron elaborated for her. Iris was too down-to-earth for her own good sometimes. "And not a lot of goddesses are nice to the satyrs."

"I think that both of those things are wrong," she said leaning back on her elbows. The sun shone off her face and bathed the valley and her white dress yellowy.

"You think so?" Chiron asked.

"Yeah. People should be nicer to each other, and more immortals should swing around Pelion. Really, if not for this absolutely gorgeous view, they should come for the people. They're all so nice, even those who don't recognise me. And in default to that, like if they're a child of Ares or something, they've all got character and strong personalities." Iris said.

"They are good kids," Chiron nodded.

"I really appreciate what you're doing here," Iris said putting a hand on his arm. "I know that it's not easy for you, and that you weren't expecting all of these kids to turn up, but it's good that you give them a home. An importance, a sense of safety, an identity, a way to connect and learn… They've never had that before."

Chiron sighed.

"I hope so."

"It is," Iris said. "And I may or may not know this by means such as -but not limited to- eavesdropping, but a lot of gods appreciate it too."

Somehow when being able to take some time off and Iris visiting coincided, Chiron always ended up smiling.

**Green**

"Thank you very much," Chiron said handing Iris a letter. "I can always count on you."

"Quick delivery and service with a smile; that's me," Iris smiled.

"You're much more than that," Chiron promised.

Iris shrugged, a smile spreading across her lips. She couldn't take a compliment with a straight face, maybe because of how little she got of them. Or maybe that was just when he gave them...

"Hey, next time you write to someone, do you think that the letter could be on environmentally friendly paper?"

"I could… try to find some, sure." Chiron said.

"Thank you," Iris said. "You know, say what you will about the hippies but I think that they've got a point."

"I think that it's just going to result into a mass murder of Cabin 4's kids via Cabin 5's." Chiron said.

"Well, maybe for you." Iris said. "But I think I'm going to start trying to help the planet out. Save the ocean, buy fair-trade products, clean up parks… Eat organic too, you know?"

"Let me know how it works out for you," Chiron said. "Maybe we can even turn camp eco-friendly."

"Would you?" Iris beamed.

"We'll see," Chiron said.

**Blue**

A maid came to get Chiron. Really she was a mortal with sight who didn't want to live in London alone and unprotected. At present, Chiron didn't have the authority to let her live in Hermes' cabin, and so they passed her off as a 'maid' to the Olympian council and let her live at The Half-Blood Academy for Excellence under the table. But she was quite good at Capture-the-flag, and Chiron had seen her put a child of Zeus or a son of Aphrodite in his place more than once.

"There's a goddess at the door Chiron," she said. "I take it that you'd like to answer the door?"

"Yes, thank you Sophie," he said. "You know, you should get out of here early. Maybe the children of Hermes could use another player at cards, or the children of Poseidon may be up to something."

Sophie beamed.

"Good night Chiron," she said before rushing out of there, by the back door.

Chiron eased out of the wheelchair –it was the first time that he'd tried it, after a recommendation from a son of Hephaestus, the same who'd built the wiry but magic contraption. He liked it- it was an easy way to manage to circulate in places meant for humans -such as the Academy.

When he got to the door he barely recognised Iris. She was wearing the era's dress, the latest in Victorian fashion at that, though in a blue colour darker than any shade Chiron was used to seeing on her. Her brown eyes were watery.

"Iris?" He asked. "Oh, Iris, what's wrong?"

"Hera's being the Queen of jerks," she said softly trying to control her.

"Oh dear," Chiron said (though what he really wanted to say was '_again?') _"What did she do?"

"She…" Iris shook her head. "She brought up my sister and…"

"Alright," Chiron said. She didn't need to say more, it had always been a tough subject for Iris. Besides, tears were already streaming down her face. "Come in, Iris. I'll make you some tea."

**Indigo**

"Special letter for Dionysus," Iris said once Chiron answered the door. She smiled when she saw him. "Chiron! Even better, hello."

"Hello Iris," he said accepting a hug from her. She bent down to wrap her arms around him, even though he was much lower in his wheelchair.

"You're wearing something different," Chiron said.

Iris nodded and smoothed her hands over her legs. "I like them a lot- comfy, strong, much better for running errands. And I look good."

"That you do," Chiron admitted.

Iris giggled. "You'll see- your kids will be wearing these jeans anytime now. Anyways, is Dionysus around?"

**Violet **

"Very nice," Chiron said looking around and soaking in all the details and the wind chimes, the crystals and the dream catchers and other assorted decorations decorating the store.

Iris appeared from between two shelves, holding a cardboard box at her waist. She dropped it.

"Chiron!" She said with a smile. "I didn't know you'd come! Oh, nothing's really ready…"

"Of course I'd come. I know how much this store means to you and how excited you were about it."

"You should have called or something! This place is a mess."

"It's nice," Chiron said.

"You think?" Iris said with a smile.

"Yes," he answered. "You seem to have a little bit of everything."

Iris smiled. "There's a whole aisle of organic teas, it smells _fantastic! _And they're all so delicious, I have been in the _biggest _tea phase. And you remember Fleecy, right? From the Himalayan clouds? She's going to fly over to help out! I'm expecting her tomorrow."

"That's great," Chiron said. "I'm glad you won't be alone."

"I'm never alone," she said taking his hand and smiling. "I always know that even though you're training a million hyperactive children who aren't even your own, there's always potential for you to pop by and room for me."

"Hey, you pop by and visit me more than the opposite Iris," Chiron said. She laughed and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She had a whole new glow to her, excitement shone in her eyes and her smile was bright and true.

"But yes, I always have time for you. I brought a house-warming gift, as a matter of fact." he said. "I'm assuming that that's acceptable, even for a store."

"Sure," Iris shrugged. "I don't think there are any rules.

"Do you have a vase handy?"

"If you're going to give me irises, don't even try to make that joke. Hermes beat you to it about…"

"Five centuries ago, I know." Chiron said patiently. "And you were fuming- I remember."

He took a tiny potted plant from his saddlebag and handed it to her.

"African violets!" She said with a smile. "Those are _so _pretty! Thanks tons Chiron."

"I'd say that I had to thank you," Chiron said.

"What for?" Iris frowned.

"Nothing in particular," the centaur shrugged. "Just being you, in any shape or form, is enough."


End file.
